US Election 2012: Michele Bachmann withdraws after Iowa defeat

Michele Bachmann announced today that she was dropping out of the Republican
race after coming last among the six candidates who competed in Iowa

The Tea Party favourite, who at one point led over the summer the field in the state where she was born, received only five per cent of the vote in last night's caucuses and today ended her campaign.

“Last night, the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice, and so I have decided to stand aside,” Mrs Bachmann said as she stood flanked by family members at a news conference in West Des Moines.

She vowed that she would support the evenutal nominee and promised to continue the fight against the "socialist policies of Barack Obama".

Her decision to withdraw is likely to bolster Rick Santourm, the former Pennsylvania senator who ran Mitt Romney to a virtual draw, in Iowa.

Both share the support of Evangelical voters and both Republicans have taken fiercely conservative stances on abortion and a hawkish position on Iran.

Mrs Bachmann's withdrawal raises two questions about her immediate future: will she stand for a fourth term in her Minnesota congressional seat or perhaps follow the route of Sarah Palin and embark on a new career as a television personality? And, more pressingly for the 2012 election, will she endorse one of her rivals?

In the minutes after her announcement, Mr Romney released a fulsome tribute to her candidacy, describing her as "a friend and a strong competitor". Her backing, coupled with that of South Carolina governor Nikki Hayley, would help shore up Mr Romney's position among social conservatives and Tea Party supporters.

Mrs Bachmann received just 6,073 votes in Iowa, less than 2,000 more than she won during the largely symbolic Ames Straw Poll in August.

Her early lead evaporated after Texas governor Rick Perry entered the race and began to compete for the same Evangelical supporters. Although a fairly disciplined debater, Mrs Bachmann's campaign on the ground was a chaotic affair - a point by the defection of a senior staffer to Ron Paul and the sacking of her well-respected campaign manager, Ed Rollins.